Is Get Out Really a Comedy? Don’t Ask Jordan Peele

A new fracas kicked up on the Internet this week when it was reported Tuesday that Get Out, the blockbuster horror debut directed by Jordan Peele, was submitted for a Golden Globe consideration in the comedy or musical category. There was immediate backlash: could a movie so thrilling and piercingly acute about portraying racism onscreen really be considered a comedy, even if it does feature several solid jokes? On Wednesday night, Peele decided to set the record straight(ish) in an interview with Stephen Colbert.

“I submitted it as a documentary,” the director joked when Colbert asked him about the category controversy, echoing something Peele had previously said on Twitter.

He elaborated, saying the movie is “truth,” and that’s why it resonated with people. “For me, it's more of a historical biopic. The original title was Get Out: The Kanye West Story.”

O.K., so Peele is sort of just taking the piss out of the moment. He did, however, ultimately note that the film “doesn't fit into a genre.”

“It sort of subverts the idea of genre,” he added. “But it is the kind of movie that black people can laugh at, but white people, not so much.”

Therein lies the fracas! There have already been several debates about which category the movie really belongs to, at least for the sake of awards classification. Does calling Get Out a comedy diminish its nail-biting construction and clever social commentary? Is it snobby to assume the term “comedy” denotes a less important movie in the first place? And who made this decision, anyway?

According to Entertainment Weekly, which originally reported the category news, the answer to that last question is Blumhouse itself—Get Out’s production company. Universal later confirmed that Blumhouse had submitted its film in the comedy category. Ultimately, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the Globes’ voting body, picks where a film will compete; Orange Is the New Black, for example, has been cited in both the comedy and the drama categories in different years.

The Globes’ comedy/musical selections have often been contentious in the past; at best, this is the hodgepodge of a section reserved for anything that’s not an obvious, straightforward prestige drama (or a film that has dramatic leanings, but a better shot of winning if it’s not competing against the year’s certified heavy hitters). Get Out’s placement makes at least as much sense as that of, say, Ridley Scott’sThe Martian—that uproarious comedy—which picked up the award for best musical or comedy at the Globes in 2016.

Dig a little deeper, though, and you’ll find that Peele actually does disagree with this Globes categorization, even if he’s currently having fun being a bit obtuse about it. In a Wednesday interview with IndieWire, the director got a little more candid, repeating that the movie is hard to pin into any genre (let alone the ill-fitting comedy/musical box). But he later added that he was not really involved in the studio’s decision to submit it as a comedy: “I don’t think it worked like that,” he said. “I think it was just submitted.”

“What the movie is about is not funny,” he continued. “I’ve had many black people come up to me and say, ‘Man, this is the movie we’ve been talking about for a while and you did it.’ That’s a very powerful thing. For that to be put in a smaller box than it deserves is where the controversy comes from.”

The fact that people are still talking about the movie at all delights Peele. Still, he hopes the film’s deeper content isn’t “trivialized.”

“The label of comedy is often a trivial thing,” he continued. “The real question is, what are you laughing at? Are you laughing at the horror, the suffering? Are you disregarding what’s real about this project? That’s why I said, yeah—it’s a documentary.”

And he’s sticking to that categorization—so leave all your arguments in the Sunken Place.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Because nothing says horror like a 1920 German Expressionist film. This classic about a murderous hypnotist is inspiring now for its groundbreaking cinematography and sheer artfulness, more of a gorgeous film noir than a real horror story.

Photo: From Everett Collection.

Dracula

The original cinematic adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel is a must-see for film fans. It’s the mother of all vampire movies, featuring an indelible performance by Bela Lugosi and some really lush cinematography. (This scene alone of Dracula’s wives awakening is a thing of pure beauty.) Plus, it’s from the 1930s—there’s no way it’ll scare you.

Photo: From Everett Collection.

Psycho

Ah, yet another classic that all film fans should have in their back pocket. The seminal Alfred Hitchcock thriller shocked audiences in 1960 with its jarring shower scene and ultimate plot twist, but it won’t horrify modern viewers the same way. Hitchcock was more about suspense than jump scares, even if Pyscho still gives you a healthy bout of chills.

Photo: From Paramount/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock.

Carrie

Speaking of old movies that aren’t scary-scary by modern standards, Brian De Palma’s adaptation of this Stephen King novel about a bullied high-school girl with a zealous mother is yet another standard-bearer that scared people at the time of its release. Now it’s got a sort of hokey 70s aesthetic that won’t spook viewers more accustomed to sophisticated special effects.

Photo: From United Artists/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock.

Paranorman

This stop-motion kids comedy is a joyful story about a boy who sees dead people. (For the scary version, go stream The Sixth Sense.) It’s more of a delightful coming-of-age tale with genuine laughs, and some spooky animated creatures for good measure.

Photo: From Focus Features/Everett Collection.

What We Do in the Shadows

Much like Shaun, this 2014 mockumentary flips a genre on its head, poking fun at the wild and sexy lore of vampires. Written and directed by New Zealand’s finest, Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, who also star, the film is about a trio of vampires just living everyday life—splitting house chores, trying to get invited into nightclubs—which takes a turn when they have to take in a new 20-year-old vampire.

Photo: From Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock.

Get Out

Make no mistake: Jordan Peele’s excellent debut feature is a horror movie through and through, with highly unsettling twists and turns. But the horror doesn’t rely on twisted jump scares or unsightly violence; instead, it’s baked into the film’s brilliant social commentary on modern racism. And if that’s not enough, take it from another wimp—this is a horror hit you can candle.

Photo: From Universal/Everett Collection.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Because nothing says horror like a 1920 German Expressionist film. This classic about a murderous hypnotist is inspiring now for its groundbreaking cinematography and sheer artfulness, more of a gorgeous film noir than a real horror story.

From Everett Collection.

Dracula

The original cinematic adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel is a must-see for film fans. It’s the mother of all vampire movies, featuring an indelible performance by Bela Lugosi and some really lush cinematography. (This scene alone of Dracula’s wives awakening is a thing of pure beauty.) Plus, it’s from the 1930s—there’s no way it’ll scare you.

From Everett Collection.

Psycho

Ah, yet another classic that all film fans should have in their back pocket. The seminal Alfred Hitchcock thriller shocked audiences in 1960 with its jarring shower scene and ultimate plot twist, but it won’t horrify modern viewers the same way. Hitchcock was more about suspense than jump scares, even if Pyscho still gives you a healthy bout of chills.

From Paramount/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock.

Carrie

Speaking of old movies that aren’t scary-scary by modern standards, Brian De Palma’s adaptation of this Stephen King novel about a bullied high-school girl with a zealous mother is yet another standard-bearer that scared people at the time of its release. Now it’s got a sort of hokey 70s aesthetic that won’t spook viewers more accustomed to sophisticated special effects.

From United Artists/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock.

Poltergeist

Like many horror movies of decades past, Poltergeist, too, isn’t as scary as it once. But it still has some solid scary moments—do yourself a favor and squeeze your eyes shut when Martin Casella grabs his face in the bathroom scene—so save it for when you’re at your bravest.

From MGM/Everett Collection.

Gremlins

The kitschy 1984 horror-comedy is basically about Furbies from hell. Though it’s geared toward a younger audience, there’s some violence that kicked it up to a PG-13 viewing—but it’s still, at the end of the day, a fun little movie about people fighting goofy puppets.

From Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock.

The Lost Boys

At the heart of this vampire saga is an emo journey about two dorky teens (Corey Feldman and Corey Haim, the 80s dream duo) fending off a pack of too-cool vampires trying to turn one of their older brothers into a monster. There’s definitely some scary imagery throughout—mind tricks in which the head vampire (an ice-blond Kiefer Sutherland) turns rice into maggots, bloody feeding frenzies—but its youthful spirit, style, and comedy far outweighs the horror elements.

From Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock.

Silence of the Lambs

Silence is a perfect psychological thriller, a dive into the life of a green F.B.I. agent (Jodie Foster) who has to interview a captured cannibalistic serial murderer (Anthony Hopkins), then use that information to catch another killer on the loose. The Jonathan Demme classic is disturbing and suspenseful, but also so elegantly told that it won best picture at the 1992 Oscars. Certified wimps can totally handle this prestige project.

From Orion Pictures Corp/Everett Collection.

Zombieland

Speaking of zombie fare that’s more funny than scary, this 2009 adventure tale puts together a ragtag group of survivors in a world possessed by the walking dead. It’s like a spunky how-to guide for surviving a zombie apocalypse. And to prove its comedic lean, director Ruben Fleischer tapped a very famous comedian to come in for a perfect cameo—which we won’t spoil for any newcomers.

From Columbia Pictures/Everett Collection.

Shaun of the Dead

Edgar Wright’s kooky 2004 horror-comedy takes the piss out of the zombie genre. Be slightly warned: there’s a lot of blood and braaaains and hideous violence, but it’s so smart and jokey that the dread is balanced out.

From Rogue Pictures/Everett Collection.

Paranorman

This stop-motion kids comedy is a joyful story about a boy who sees dead people. (For the scary version, go stream The Sixth Sense.) It’s more of a delightful coming-of-age tale with genuine laughs, and some spooky animated creatures for good measure.

From Focus Features/Everett Collection.

What We Do in the Shadows

Much like Shaun, this 2014 mockumentary flips a genre on its head, poking fun at the wild and sexy lore of vampires. Written and directed by New Zealand’s finest, Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, who also star, the film is about a trio of vampires just living everyday life—splitting house chores, trying to get invited into nightclubs—which takes a turn when they have to take in a new 20-year-old vampire.

From Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock.

Get Out

Make no mistake: Jordan Peele’s excellent debut feature is a horror movie through and through, with highly unsettling twists and turns. But the horror doesn’t rely on twisted jump scares or unsightly violence; instead, it’s baked into the film’s brilliant social commentary on modern racism. And if that’s not enough, take it from another wimp—this is a horror hit you can candle.